Life and Adventures of William Buckley/Appendix 2

by John Morgan

THE CONTRAST!

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STATISTICS OF THE PROVINCE OF VICTORIA,

1851.

Reader, cast your mental vision back to page 111 of this narrative; there you will see the first white canvass homes of the hardy Pioneers, who arrived sixteen years ago, to clear the way for another strong arm of British power—a future nation of the descendants, or offshoots of the old stock. Do them the justice to think, for a few moments, on their courage, their perseverance, their anxieties,—and honour them as they deserve.

Look again, at that solitary little vessel riding quietly like a swan on the bosom of that magnificent basin; she brings them the only means of communication with other shores.

Look at the people now, and the forests of masts. Survey the splendid harbours and the magnificent cities of Melbourne and Geelong now. Is not the change, and in so brief a space of time, wonderful?

Read the details of the progress onward, in the following Statistics, taken from the "Illustrated Australian Magazine," which we give in order that the astonishing resources of the Province of Victoria (over which Buckley trod for thirty-two years, the only white man,) may be known, whenever, and wherever, this History of his Life and Adventures are favoured with a perusal.—

The Census, which came off this year as usual on the second of March, has not in its results disappointed even sanguine expectations. In round numbers Victoria contains 80,000, colonists, New South Wales 192,000, South Australia 68,000, and Van Diemen's Land the same number. The respective capitals of these colonies are rising by rapid but sure gradations into cities of even European magnitude. Sydney contains 44,000 inhabitants, Melbourne 23,000, Hobart Town 20,000, and Adelaide 15,000. Geelong, the second town of Victoria, is the largest of any of the second towns of the Sister Colonies, and contains upwards of 8,000 souls, and claims the additional pre-eminence among these towns of Municipal Institutions.

The condition of the Public Revenues correspond with the general prosperity and extension of the colony. There is a satisfactory increase in the various departments of the "General Revenue," as distinguished from the fluctuating items of the "Crown Revenue." The total receipts under both heads have been for 1850 £261,821, against £206,799 for the previous year. For New South Wales, exclusive of Port Phillip, the amounts have been £317,291 for 1850, and £290,847 for 1849.

The Commercial results for the past year are still more striking than the Financial. The export of Tallow from Victoria had risen to the unprecedented quantity of 4,490 tons, of the value of £133,000. The export of Wool has now advanced to the immense quantity of upwards of 18,000,000 of pounds weight, being four millions of pounds more than the quantity of this staple produce exported from the older and larger colony of New South Wales for the same period. The export of produce, for 1850, amounted in value to £1,022,064, against £737,067 for the previous year.

The extraordinary discoveries of gold made about the middle of May last to the westward of Bathurst, are still the absorbing subject of public attention. The comparative abundance of the metal is now undoubtedly ascertained, as far as regards the present scene of operation. The actual extent of so lucrative a field is still to be explored; but it appears to be probable that it extends into Victoria in the direction of Gipps' Land to the East, and the Pyrenees to the West. The precious metal has also been recently found, or at least confidently asserted to exist, in other parts of Victoria.

Much inconvenience must for a time result from this discovery. Many branches of business must be affected, many labourers will leave and are leaving their hired service. The wages of those who remain must rise considerably, and many contracts must be unexpectedly disarranged from these altered relations. Provisions, beer, spirits, and other articles, have taken a sudden and considerable rise.

On the other hand this extraordinary discovery will attract towards Australia the attention of the world. An immense tide of emigration may be expected to roll towards her shores, and a few years may now accomplish what even her sanguine colonists had removed to the distance of an age or a century.

The operations at the Australian "Diggins" appear as yet to have been conducted without that confusion or lawless violence, which has too frequently characterised similar scenes in California. It is fortunate in this respect that the discovery has taken place in the midst of a society already formed, and a well-established government.

Victoria Benevolent Asylum.—At a meeting of Committee held at Melbourne, on the 13th June instant, it appeared that the edifice of the Asylum was now complete. The total cost had been £3,272 19s. 6d. Some exterior additions were recommended, which would add between one or two hundred pounds to this amount.

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.

SHIPS INWARDS.
From.	No.	Tons.	Men.
Great Britain	117	62,142
New Zealand	4	352
V. D. Land, &c	420	40,644
Foreign States	14	4,892
Total for 1850	555	108,030	6198
Ditto1849	484	97,003	5886
Increase, 1850	71	11,027	312

Comparative Return of the value of Imports into, and Exports from, the District of Port Phillip, for the Years 1849 and 1850.

IMPORTS.
Year.	Articles the Produce or Manufacture of			Total.
	The U. Kingdom.	Other British Dominions.	Foreign States.
1850	517,035	102,138	125,752	744,925
1849	307,078	61,214	111,539	479,831

EXPORTS.
Year.	Articles the Produce or Manufacture of				Total.
	New South Wales	The United Kingdom.	Other Br. Doms.	Foreign States.
1850	1022,064	12,945	195	6,592	1041,796
1849	737,067	13,072	721	4,466	755,326

IMPORTS.—Table exhibiting the quantity and value of the principal Articles of Import into Port Phillip for the year 1850.
All Imports of less than £1000 value are excluded.

DESCRIPTION.		QUANTITY.	VALUE.
			£
Agricultural Implements	Packages	414	1,086
Alkali (Soda)	„	697	2,987
Apparel and Slops	„	1,964	42,086
Bags and Sacks	„	883	15,485
Beer and Ale	Gallons	381,150	38,115
Blacking	Packages	425	1,379
Blankets and Counterpanes	„	145	3,252
Bricks, Bath and Fire	Number	114,438	1,487
Brushware	Packages	225	1,172
Candles	No.	35,000	1,611
Canvass	Bales	112	2,723
Carpeting	„	40	1,596
Carriages and Car. materials	Packages	91	1,713
Coals	Tons	1,138	1,284
Coffee and Chocolate	„	46	1,850
Colours, Painters'	Packages	1,424	2,322
Cordage and Rope	„	1,810	4,522
Corks and Bungs	„	388	1,060
Cottons	„	1,596	50,924
Cutlery	„	48	1,550
Drugs and Medicines	„	1,567	10,307
Earthenware and China	Crates	991	9,572
Fish, Salted	Packages	2,002	1,810
Flour and Bread	Cwts.	14,360	5,156
Fruits, Dried	Tons	279	6,155
„Green	Bushels	7,603	1,362
Furniture	Packages	765	7,534
Glass and Glassware	„	1,903	7,162
Grain, Wheat	Bushels	30,492	3,873
„Oats	„	24,261	2,579
„Rice	lbs.	277,760	1,436
Haberdashery	Packages	2,044	63,350
Hardware and Ironmongery	„	11,506	43,908
Hats, Caps and Bonnets	„	353	7,028
Hosiery and Gloves	„	153	4,494
Instruments, Musical	„	98	3,865
Iron and Steel	Tons	2,310	23,653
Lead	„	190	3,547
Leather, Boots and Shoes	Packages	804	14,600
Linens	„	453	12,848
Machinery	„	480	1,429
Millinery	Packages	48	1,105
Nails, Iron	„	6,473	11,736
Oatmeal and Pearl Barley	lbs.	142,560	1,188
Oilmen's Stoves	Packages	9,298	16,162
Oil, Black	Tons	48	2,069
Oil, Linseed	Gallons	3,557	1,067
Perfumery	Packages	92	1,007
Pipes, Tobacco	„	1,004	1,187
Pitch, Tar and Rosin	Casks	1,692	1,675
Plate and Plated Ware	Cases	13	1,020
Potatoes and Yams	Tons	867	2,179
Provisions, Salted	„	19	1,108
Saddlery and Harness	Packages	412	11,924
Salt	Tons	1,875	4,808
Shoocks and Staves	Bundles	3,780	1,583
Silks	Packages	43	2,591
Slates	Number	375,000	2,373
Spirits, Brandy	Gallons	56,147	16,844
„Rum	„	160,552	20,069
„Gin	„	56,100	8,465
„Whiskey	„	23,478	5,280
Starch and Blue	Boxes	653	1,033
Stationery and Books	„	1,339	20,412
Sugar, Refined	Tons	124	3,264
„Raw	„	2,977	38,571
Tea	lbs.	722,824	17,268
Tin and Tinware	Packages	1,183	2,353
Tobacco, Cigars and Snuff	lbs.	288,100	21,608
Timber, Deals and Battens	Feet	56,185	8,660
„Sawn, &c.	„	5,268,693	12,549
„Palings	Number	2,996,284	9,253
„Laths	„	3,893,200	1,343
„Shingles	„	6,586,023	2,794
„All other	Feet	241,349	1,290
Vinegar	Gallons	15,220	1,142
Wine	„	78,720	13,795
Woodenware	Packages	1,724	1,058
Woollens	„	458	17,394
Woolpacks and Bagging	„	1,130	19,188
Unenumerated			22,696
Total Imports for 1850			744,925
Ditto„„ 1849			479,831
Increase for 1850			265,094

ABSTRACT OF IMPORTS.
WHERE FROM.		1850.	1849.
United Kingdom		599,784	356,791
New Zealand		853	102
Other British Colonies		97,563	102,873
United States of America		89	1,555
Other Foreign States		46,636	18,510
Total		744,925	479,831
EXPORTS.
Table exhibiting the quantity and value of the principal Articles of Export from the District of Port Phillip for the year 1850.
DESCRIPTION.		QUANTITY.	VALUE.
			£
Butter and Cheese	lbs.	52,067	1,252
Candles, Tallow	„	36,240	604
Flour and Bread	Tons	128½	1,576
Grain, Wheat	Bushels	695	175
„ Oats	Bushels	4,271	893
Hoofs, Horns and Bones	Tons	146	427
Lard	lbs.	2912	32
Leather, Unmanufactured	Bales	249	3,115
Live Stock, Horses	No.	1	5
„ Horned Cattle	„	5,287	12,893
„ sheep	„	57,422	16,091
Potatoes	Tons	25	106
Provisions (Salt) Beef	„	495½	15,074
„ Pork	„	18½	354
„ Tongues	„	7½	440
„ Bacon, &c.	„	4⅛	229
Skins, Neat Cattle	No.	19,951	4,106
„ Calf	„	150	15
„ Sheep	„	20,000	1,012
„ Kangaroo & Opossum	„	700	58
Soap	Tons	130¼	3,124
Specimens of Natural History	Packages	12	89
Tallow	Tons	4,489½	132,863
Wool	lbs.	18,091,207	826,190
Unenumerated Goods			21,073
Total			1,041,796

ABSTRACT OF EXPORTS.
WHERE SENT.	Colonial Produce.	Imports re-exported.	Total.
			1850.	1849.
	£	£	£	£
United Kingdom	951,891	647	952,538	673,707
British Colonies	69,456	18,803	88,259	78,697
U. States of America	237	227	264	2776
Other Foreign States	480	55	535
Total	1,022,064	19,732	1,041,796	755,326

We have no very late official returns to form opinions upon, but the following may be considered sufficiently correct up to the close of the year 1851:—

Acres in cultivation	51,536
Sheep	6,647,557
Horned Cattle	483,202
Horses	2,916
Pigs	11,544

The above returns are sufficient to shew the truly glorious results of civilization;—what can be done by the Anglo-Saxon race;—by English, Irish, Scotch and Welsh men when, with a right good-will, they set about colonizing a country blessed with a genial climate, and rich in its natural resources. The Port Phillippians have understood, that

"The wise and active conquer difficulties
By daring to attempt them; whilst sloth and folly,
Shiver and shrink, at sight of toil, and hazard,
And make the impossibilities they fear."

They have hitherto acted, as did the early settlers in Massachusett's Bay, who represented to the Virginia Company in 1617, that they "were well weaned from the delicate milk of their mother country, and inured to the difficulties of a strange land. That they were knit together in a strict and sacred bond, by virtue of which, they held themselves bound to take care of the good of each other, and of the whole. That it was not with them as with other men, whom small things could discourage, or small discontents cause to wish themselves home again."

But again, Victoria is commencing a new era, of her moral, social, and political existence. The unexplored land, over which Buckley, the hero of this Narrative wandered, is now an acknowledged Province, a distinct portion of the mighty British Empire. No longer a child in the hand of its elder sister, she has been declared able to walk independently of aid,—to think,—to act,—to decide on what is most consistent with her own interests and happiness. Arrived at years of maturity, her fortune, her resources, at length are her's, and it will be her fault only, should she not secure, and apply them, as best becomes her power, and her station.

But we must not wander farther into the field of her present and future prosperity, in a Narrative of this description,—neither is it necessary, for

"The land has peace, freedom, liberty of conscience,
and what would ye more?

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